Roy Hooper on the council ‘maintained’ green


“The council has also revealed that one of every two bowling greens will be turned into either playing areas or flower beds, which paints a bleak picture of a city that has, for generations, enjoyed a rich bowling heritage”


The Chapel Street faithful


bowls, Worthing (see Pitchcare April/May 2011 p18-23) due, in part, to natural wastage and the changing demographic in the nation’s urban bowls venues. Alistair Hollis, of Bowls England, admits that there is a “huge task” facing clubs, and why the primary role of the sport’s governing body is to “increase membership and keep the sport sustainable”. The average price of annual membership is around £70 which, he says, “keeps the game affordable” yet, if particularly parks clubs like Chapel Street are to remain, there needs to be more people fighting their corner. Bowls Scotland is attempting to increase participation through its Scottish Young Bowlers Association initiative, which aims to raise the popularity of the game amongst a different age category. Yet, the best strategy for survival in these times may well be to ensure you have influential people ‘bowling’ for you, which is why Chapel Street could even now stand a fighting chance of staying alive. John Woodcock became involved with the plight of the sport last summer after meeting with bowlers in Walney, Barrow in Furness, who were concerned that seven greens had fallen victim to development since 1994, and more were under threat as the owners of cash-strapped pubs and clubs looked for ways of generating extra funds. After a period of research into the issue, John Woodcock tabled a bill in the Commons on the 28 March aimed at making it easier for bowlers to stop their greens being sold off for development. His measures seek to halt the rising tide


of greens being disposed of across his constituency and the UK alike. “Bowling clubs are vital community hubs across the


country, but more and more are at risk of being sold off for development,” explains Mr Woodcock, who played the sport as a junior in his home city of Sheffield. “Allowing clubs to be turned over for development would deprive many older people of their only activity and would break up the social networks that build up around the sport,” he adds. The proposed bill, which enjoys cross- party support, would also introduce a ‘community right to buy’ for bowling greens, allowing people to club together and form co-operatives to purchase the greens for themselves and maintain them as community assets. It is this level of flexibility that the bowlers of Chapel Street want applied to them, instead of simply closing the venue and allowing the sale of the council-owned plot. With precious little financial support in


recent years, the club has had to undertake much of the running repairs and upgrading itself, particularly on the ‘tea hut’, which members managed to have completed for nothing. Such initiatives have helped keep the club operational so far, but Chapel Street is clearly sunk without its crown green. “It’s really disappointing that the council cuts will target the most vulnerable in the community,” says 80-year-old Muriel Hill, a lifelong member of Chapel Street, which has some twenty-five members and runs two teams. “People like me rely on the club, not only for our only source of exercise but also as a place to meet and socialise.”


Whilst her comments typify the sentiments felt by all the bowlers, Chapel Street has been galvanised into action largely by the efforts of club secretary, Roy


Fog Lane bowls green -s 44


still maintained ...


... but locked up and unavailable for use!


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